Keira Night
Keira is a tiefling who grew up among half-elves and humans in a small village in the kingdom of Velarya. She is a bit naive, but has begun to discover that the world is not as accepting sometimes as her village was. Her full name is Kiera Night, but now introduces herself by her mother's last name. She is seeking another tiefling druid known as Quest, who was the reason she left her old life behind. Quest gave her the name Patience, which she holds dear to her heart. Keira has a deep-rooted fear of being alone. Not to be by herself, but to be actually alone in the world, to have no one to care for and no one to care for her. Primarily, this stems from how she has always struggled with feeling like she truly has a place in the world. DM's Notes * Quest is kidnapped by the group who is attempting to bring the Moonlit King to this realm. * He might be transformed into a dryad? tree-spirit? Relationships Original Family: * Grandfather (elf? half-elf?) * Marion (birth mother, human) Adoptive Family: * Marilyn (adoptive mother, aunt, half-elf) * Donovan (adoptive father, half-elf) * Pip (oldest brother, half-elf, 4 years older) * Ryle (middle brother, half-elf, 2 years older) ** hunter-gatherers, farmers Quest: * Knows other druids along the Greyspine * Age difference is at least 8 years * Disappeared between the Wispmarshes and the Dragonwastes Backstory I have not yet figured out most of the last name stuff, so ignore those little pieces that are unfinished. Keira was born of a human woman, named Marion NAME, in a small village comprised of humans and half-elves in Velarya, north of the capitol Imber. Marion, a common tailor, often visited a nearby, primarily human, town to seek work, and one night, she met a handsome and mysterious tiefling traveler at a bar in the town. Being a free-spirited young woman, Marion enjoyed a night with this tiefling man and soon afterwards found herself pregnant. This news surprised nobody, as Marion had developed a slight reputation. However, Marion was careful not to share the details of the baby’s father; only her half-sister had any knowledge that Marion had been with a tiefling and had her suspicions that he was the father. Marion, though, was positive the tiefling was the father, and she was well aware of the possible effect this would have on her baby. And she was unafraid and undeterred. In all honesty, while she was afraid of having a child out of wedlock for the sure scorn and feasibility of providing as a single mother, Marion was actually thrilled overall. She had always wanted a baby, and, while she was maybe a bit flighty and unpredictable and not exactly the sharpest nail in the toolbox, she was sure she would be a great mother and that her child would grow to be a wonderful person. She really had no shame or regret. Marion was a happy woman, content with her lot, emotionally unaffected by the opinion of others, and this just happened to be the greatest thing that had ever happened to her. So after the initial shock of it all, Marion was beyond excited and so loved her little unborn tiefling baby. When Keira was born, the village was shocked, of course. There were murmurs and uncertainties, and several inconsequential people were so disgusted that they insisted the baby be abandoned or killed, but there were enough understanding half-elves to ensure the baby’s safety. The half-elves of the village were able to relate to baby Keira in to a certain extent, and no one could deny the pure love that Marion had for her little daughter. There was something about being around the mother when she was holding and caring for her little tiefling baby that was contagious, and the people of the village soon found themselves fond of Keira, too. Of course, there was maybe a slight bit of doubt hidden in some of their hearts, but many were able to push it away, choosing to wait and see how the tiefling would grow before making any definitive stances toward her. Those that continued to oppose the tiefling up and left the village (and good riddance to them). Because Keira was born out of wedlock, though, rather than taking her mother’s last name, it was required that she take the surname Night instead, as was the custom. (Basically like Jon Snow from Game of Thrones. Also because I couldn’t resist with her first name being Keira.) Adoption When Keira was just two years old, Marion passed away from an illness, entrusting Keira to her half-sister Marilyn’s care. It is maybe important to note that Marion and Marilyn shared the same father. He was originally married to a half-elf, but when Marilyn’s mother passed, her father remarried a human woman and then had Marion. Marilyn and her husband, a half-elf named Donovan, already loved Keira as one of their own at this point, so they willingly took Keira in and raised her alongside their two young boys, ages four and six at the time. All went relatively well with Keira’s upbringing, all things considered. Of course, she got to the age where she began to realize just how different she was from everyone else, but her aunt was kind and explained that she was simply different from them in physical appearance, that there weren’t very many people that looked like her where they lived, but that did not mean she was alone. There were other people like her out there, and maybe one day they would set out on an adventure to find more tieflings, if Keira really wanted to, but that would have to wait until she was older. Keira tried her best to understand and accept this fact. Marilyn never hid the fact that Keira was adopted, that her mother had passed away and her father had been a wanderer, but she was always sure to tell Keira that her mother had been a strong woman who had loved her fiercely. That she had been happy and had felt no ill will towards her father in any sense. And while of course Keira wondered and wished, in her early years she was happy with her life and her new Momma and Papa and her two older brothers that she wrestled with and loved dearly. The five of them were extremely close. When Keira was twelve, her brothers finally allowed her to go out ‘hunting’ with them in the forest situated right next to their village in an effort to begin to ‘teach’ her. She observed them with curiosity, but found herself far more fascinated with the forest around her. Only twice had Keira been outside of her village throughout her life. She visited the town her birthmother had once frequented on one short-lived occasion when she was six years old that she can only barely remember. Hoping to return again, Keira asked her Momma and Papa to go back multiple times, but most often when the subject came up, they always found a way to divert the conversation or remind Keira of some important duty she must fulfill instead. At age ten, Keira finally convinced her parents to let her visit the town again, a trip she can remember much more clearly. Trailing behind her father, who made sure to always have a hold of her hand, Keira was transfixed by the bustle of people and carts and the trinkets and clothes, the wears displayed along the storefronts. While this was still no more than a town, to young Keira it was far more entertaining than the little village in which she lived. She had been so entranced by everything that surrounded her that she didn’t notice the looks that had come her way or the mother’s pulling their children closer as she passed. It wasn’t until they went into a pastry shop, after she eagerly pointed to a colorful dessert in a display window, that she realized anything was amiss. At home, by the time she was old enough to fully comprehend the things that happened around her, the people in the village had adjusted enough that they didn’t seem too odd around her. People had gotten used to her and treated her as they might treat any young, slightly wild girl. However, this particular shopkeeper in the town refused to sell to her family and ushered them out swiftly. Marilyn pulled Keira and her brothers out of the shop and down the street to admire some lovely leather goods while Donovan hung back in the shop for a few moments. Her father caught back up to them not too long after, in a sour enough mood that even Keira noticed. The rest of their trip was quieter and didn’t last much longer afterwards. For every trip to the town afterwards that her Momma or Papa made, instead of asking to go with them, she instead asked them to bring her something back, something small—and it soon became a habit for them to bring her back one small bead every time they ventured into the town without her. Anyway, so having not experienced much outside of her village, being truly submerged in the forest was a breathtaking experience for Keira unlike anything she had previously encountered. She had been along the outskirts in the past but had never ventured inwards. She kept a careful eye out for animals of any kind, but this trio was not quiet in the slightest, and they scared everything away long before they could spot any exciting wildlife. Until they came across the path of a large brown bear. The boys immediately poised to fight it, acting tough, but Keira, again, just stood in awe, not even thinking to duck or crouch like her brothers. Instead, she stayed standing and stared into the eyes of the bear. After a moment of watching, the bear staring as intently at Keira as she stared at it, it finally wandered away and left them alone, not even bothering to look back in their direction. The younger brother, Ryle, began an eager attempt to pursue it and take home its hide, but Keira and Pip, the oldest, were both equally stunned and dragged their brother back home to the village. From then on, Keira couldn’t get enough of the forest. She went in as often as she could, and her brothers taught her what they could about hunting, until her father actually taught her about hunting. And while she loved the thrill of being among the trees, she loved killing any animals significantly less, but she tried not to shy from it. Meeting Quest Little did Keira know, but for the next few years of her life, every so often, a creature of varying type would observe her in the forest, a few times a year. She did sometimes have a sense that the forest watched her, but she had no idea that these creatures that almost seemed to guard her when she was in the forest alone were in fact a single being. When she was fifteen, however, an almost recognizable brown bear finally approached her slowly and shifted before her. It happened quickly, and Keira blinked a few times at the tiefling male that now stood among the trees only a few yards ahead of her in the exact location the bear had once been. The tiefling, looking to be about ten years older than her, slowly, carefully introduced himself as Quest, a name that Keira found rather odd. By Quest’s mannerisms, it was pretty apparent that he was very reserved and did not often interact with people. And Keira, being the trusting, innocent—and oblivious—girl that she is didn’t feel any sense to get away from this stranger. Part of this reason might have also stemmed from the overwhelming amount of shock she felt upon finally seeing another tiefling standing before her. Her whole life she had wished to meet another person like her, and, out of the blue, here was this curious male tiefling. She told him how she had never met a tiefling before—again, talking way too much to a mysterious man she just met in the middle of a forest, all things considered—but she did feel an innate sense of trust in her gut that she couldn’t explain. Quest explained to her that he was a druid, that he spent his time guarding the forest and nearby land, but he did not mention to her how he had also noticed and guarded her as well, that he was the creatures that sometimes trailed her curiously. Keira did not hold back and immediately began asking a slew of questions, and for the next three days, she returned to the forest to meet with Quest and continue asking questions. And without considering it much before saying it, she asked if he could teach her. He cocked his head to the side in surprise and took a few moments before answering. He slowly explained to her that she would have to dedicate herself to the wilderness and that she would have to leave family and, really, all people behind. He explained that he had been guarding this area of forest for a few years now, and it was time for him to move on. He did not explain that this was the reason that prompted him to reveal himself to he, that three nights ago was to be his last night in that forest, but he had not been able to help his curiosity. Keira’s mind flashed back to those times she went into town, to all the times she had felt like an outsider even inside the village, how she never truly fit in despite her family’s best efforts. And she decides that maybe it’s time for her to find her own place in the world. She returned to the village for the remainder of the day, attempting to act as normal as possible, and that night she snuck out of her house with a small knapsack, silently saying goodbye to her family as they slept. She had debated whether or not to tell them, but she knew they would vehemently oppose the idea of her leaving suddenly and in such a way, but… She decided to leave a brief note so that, maybe, they would worry a little less and could rest slightly more assured that at least she wasn’t kidnapped, at least it wasn’t an accident. She did her best not to think about it too much, left the note on her pillow, and slipped out into the forest to meet Quest and quickly continue on. Quest took her under his wing—he did in fact often prefer the form of a hawk—and taught her the ways of the druids and the Circle of the Moon as they slowly traveled southwest. Usually, it was just the two of them, but sometimes they ran into another druid passing through the area. Quest knew of some druids in the areas they traveled and would occasionally meet with them as well. The encounters generally involved very subdued interactions, and Keira would often be chided for her quirky and mindless social interactions with the other druids. She seemed to get on Quest’s nerves quite a bit, and she found that he would constantly roll his eyes at her or huff in her direction in reaction to the things she did. Quest instructed her to closely observe the plant life and creatures that surrounded her, and he would make her follow the same creature for days on end, sometimes. He told her to watch its movements, its reactions, its mannerisms, to observe the ways it observed the world. “Patience,” Quest would often instruct Keira when she became frustrated. “You must have patience.” And Quest told Keira, “Patience,” so many times, that he simply began addressing her as this, giving her what he briefly explained was a tiefling ‘virtue’ name, like his own. He would not explain further though, and when he was silent when Keira asked why his name was Quest, she had the sense not to ask more. With time she did discover that he had been raised a druid from a young age, and he had been essentially on his own for at least half of his life. But he never elaborated more than that, and Keira soon stopped pestering him. It was one day, before they had traveled too terribly south, where the forested area was still temperate, that Keira for the first time beheld a giant creature of any kind—an elk. It was majestic, and the sight was one she would never forget. To behold such a magnificent creature… she couldn’t put the feeling into words. How small she felt, and how much awe she beheld for nature in that moment. This was why she was here. This is what she longed to protect and be a part of. Quest and Keira kept their distance from the creature, not wanting to disturb it as it lay in a patch of sunlight streaming through the trees. Keira swore she made eye contact with the elk and in that moment it peered into her soul and understood her better than anyone she had never known. It should be noted that Keira did have romantic feelings toward Quest that she tried to ignore. Being fifteen when she met him, while she found him attractive, the age gap felt like too much—not to mention their entire situation would be greatly affected if she made this fact known. And she couldn’t shake the memory of not too long before, when a little less than a year ago she had attempted to kiss a boy. He had been a friend, not a best friend, but still close. And thank goodness he had been a nice boy. Instead of sneering or insulting her or saying anything cruel to her about her race, as very well could have happened with a teenaged boy, he tried to let her down as gently as he could. But that didn’t stop her embarrassment or her hesitation to put herself in a position to be rejected again. So she never acted on any feelings she may have felt for Quest and mostly convinced herself that it was simply the fact that he was a tiefling, and she had not interacted with many other people for quite some time. Travelling South Quest and Keira traveled together southwest slowly through a pass in the Greyspine Mountains, and continued south along the western border of the mountains until they eventually reached the Numin Jungle, where they resided for quite some time. Throughout this time, Keira continued her studies, sometimes following animals, sometimes learning about how to wield magic from nature from Quest. Quest began insisting that they camp in one spot for a day and that she venture out on her own for the day and return home in the evening. Then they would travel for a day or he would teach for a day, and then she would be released to explore on her own. This pattern continued, with the days she was on her own slowly increasing, and her days with Quest diminishing. Finally, Quest began to teach her how to actually shift forms into the creatures she had spent so many days observing and learning. Beginning with the smallest of creatures, Keira seemed to be a natural at shedding her skin and trading it for another. Lizards and spiders and scorpions at first, and Keira soon became tired of their tiny forms. Compared to the giant elk, they seemed so insignificant. Frustrated with Quest who insisted that she practice shifting into a lizard yet again, Keira lost her temper. She couldn’t wait any longer, and she wanted Quest to stop treating her like a child, being now about seventeen years old, and she told him this as she stormed off deeper into the jungle. She could do this, she had proven time and time again that she was ready for more. And so alone among the trees, she attempted to shift into an elk, thinking of the giant creature she had beheld now over a year ago. Needless to say, it did not go well, and did not feel good, and Quest thankful was right behind her and helped her return to her normal state. He explained to her how she must take it in steps, must slowly increase her abilities. And she told him about how she wanted to be more than that, about the giant elk. But slowly, Quest explained to her that she must learn the importance of all the creatures of the Material Plane. How each played a role, how there was a balance, and how she must accept it all if she were to continue along the path of the druid. From then on, she tried to patient, to live up to that new name, and to properly learn from nature. When she followed Quests instructions, she did excel and found herself learning to love all of the new forms, each for different reasons. She spent her days away from Quest as creatures of different kinds, as often as she could, all the while taking in what was around her and expanding her knowledge as best she could. Alone Again This continued on for several years, until Keira would spend a month at a time on her own in the jungle, learning and protecting, meeting Quest only on the full moon. They then traveled further south, out of the Numin Jungle, further down through plains and into the swamplands of South Nodor and the edge of the Dragon Wastes. It was in this wilderness that on the night of the full moon, Quest did not show. She waited in their designated meeting spot for days, anxiously prowling in various forms. But still he did not show. She tried to ignore the worry building in her gut, but eventually she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. They had been meeting regularly every month for years, and he had never missed. She began to wander the area he was designated to navigate, just inside the Dragon Wastes, attempting to track him, but it is futile. For all she knew, he could have flown away as a hawk, he could have continued on without her with the thought that her training was complete enough for her to continue on her own. Or he could be dead, for all she knew. But she refused to accept that last thought. Now feeling truly alone, she found herself wandering farther south until she reached the coast. Maybe he would be here. She found herself thinking of her family more than she had allowed herself to in years. She didn’t know what had happened to her family. She didn’t know how they had reacted to her note upon her leaving. She had never let herself wonder because she was afraid of the answer. She had allowed the druid lifestyle to take control of her thoughts and feelings and hadn’t allowed herself to imagine her family now or what her life would have been like if she had stayed. When the brief thought of returning home crossed her mind, she quickly brushed it off—she was too different now. If she did return, she imagined they might be furious with her for leaving, or even worse… that they might have been relieved that she had left. So she was better off in forests and wild lands among the animals… even if she was alone. And she could not stand the thought of being completely alone. Blindly following her instincts, telling herself she hadn’t given up searching for Quest yet, she entered a port town as an unassuming cat. While she and Quest had only made contact with small druid clans, Circle of the Land settlements, to trade and exchange information, she thought, rather desperately, maybe she could find news of Quest here. The wonder of the town that she normally would have felt was lost on her in her consuming worry, and she weaved through the town. Her desperation was rising exponentially when she spotted the sails along the coast. Without much of a thought, she wound over to the boats, to the ships for trade, and before she realized what she had done, she had slunk onto a ship right before it pulled from the dock and began to sail away. She was only vaguely aware that she had never been on the ocean before, and she had no idea where this ship was going, and she didn’t care, just as long as it went anywhere else. The thoughts that she would never see her family or the male tiefling druid ever again kept circling her mind. She didn’t know what had become of anyone important in her life. The ship she had boarded was so crowded that no one noticed there was an extra person when Keira shifted back into her tiefling form. And there was enough variety of race on the ship that Keira did not stand out in this regard either. She noted a few of races she had never seen before, never heard before. And when the ship docked in the large trade port city Uluara, she allowed herself to wonder through the streets in her tiefling body. And the feeling was incredibly foreign to her, and it intrigued her. She realized that at this point, should she choose to go back, to try to return home, or go anywhere for that matter, she would have to find a way to make some money. She had very little on her due to the fact that she rarely ever needed any money, and in her search through the city, keeping her eyes peeled for a way to make some coin, she (somehow) comes across the mercenary guild of Shieldhearth. The fact that there is a tiefling in their midst immediately draws her attention (this is assuming there is a tiefling still in the group). Because maybe then she to can learn from this new mix of people, and maybe she can again find her place in the world. OTHER NOTES: Keira made sure to take the beads her family had gifted her when she left her home, and has now made a habit of keeping them braided into her hair for safekeeping. She also weaves feathers into her hair to remind herself of Quest. Upon leaving her village, Keira also chose to leave her shameful last name behind. Instead, she now introduces herself as Keira HER MOTHER’S LAST NAME. She also keeps the name Patience very close to her heart, after Quest’s disappearance, and oftentimes will unintentionally react to hearing the word in common speech from those around her. Keira has a deep-rooted fear of being alone. Not to be by herself, but to be actually alone in the world, to have no one to care for and no one to care for her. Primarily, this stems from how she has always struggled with feeling like she truly has a place in the world. Category:Player Characters